On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 7:28 PM, Alice Munyua <
alice@apc.org> wrote:
>
http://slatest.slate.com/id/2284157/
>
> Scramble for New Domain Names Begins
>
> For years, most internet addresses have relied on a standard set of Web
> addresses ending in .com, .net, and .edu. Now, an impending mass expansion
> of domain names is set to add subject-specific (and potentially
> controversial) suffixes into the mix. The Washington Post reports that .god,
> .gay, and .islam are just some of the infinite number of names to be
> introduced in a move that may make the Internet more intuitive, or just more
> irritating. Naturally this will throw up the usual set of controversies:
> Who, for example, gets to control .abortion, .muhammad, and .nazi? The new
> suffixes will be dolled out by an obscure nonprofit based in California that
> OKed the expansion in 2008 but still hasn't figured out exactly how it will
> work. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will come to a
> decision this spring and then begin considering proposals from companies and
> government. ICANN has encouraged applicants to "Join the Internet land
> rush!" on its Web site, although the new suffixes will come at a price. It
> costs $185,000 just to apply, plus an annual $25,000 fee to operate the new
> domain name. Critics say the "landrush" is simply a moneymaking scheme for
> the group and corporations that own the domains. The chairman of ICANN says
> the high fees are necessary because the nonprofit anticipates a lot of
> suffix-related lawsuits.
>
> --
>
>